Chapter 28

"Mail"

April frowned as she watched her husband wrestle playfully with her son. She wouldn't be frowning if there wasn't popcorn being crushed into the carpet as they did so. Her daughter jumping the couch to Mikey's shell and back, the turtle periodically helping Elizabeth to do a flip or jump just high enough to make April feel her heart stop.

This was not behavior she normally allowed. Casey knew this yet there he was helping their children run rampant through the living room Michelangelo unknowingly being an accessory to the crime.

In a last ditch effort to hold onto her sanity she turned to the turtle that had seemed to have grown roots at her table. "Donnie." She called his name but got no reaction.

Donnie was, yet again, deeply involved in his computer with his noise canceling headphones on.

April sat down at the table across from Donatello watching him, "Donnie."

When he still didn't take notice of her, April picked up a napkin, wadded it up and threw it at him.

Don caught the napkin looked at it then looked up at April, "What was that for?"

April pointed to Donnie's head phones.

"Oh." He said before taking off the head phones. "Sorry, April. What do you need?"

April leaned forward on the table and gave Don a small smile. "How is the home search going?"

"Oh… that, ummm, well I kinda decided I should take a break from that, umm… about a month and a half ago…"

April's smile disappeared. "What? Why?" She loved her friends, she really did, but having them all crammed into her apartment for the last three months was a bit much.

"Well, If you haven't noticed Arayah's belly is growing quickly. Even for being pregnant with twins. I was doing some research and we shouldn't be able to feel the babies moving yet, I mean not really. But if you watch, April, you can see them rolling about."

April nodded she had noticed and attested it to the fact that Arayah was having twins. "You think they are going to be born early."

Don nodded. "You see the gestation of a turtle is only two months."

"A lot shorter than a human's, so you are thinking she is going to give birth soon because of that?"

"I am pretty positive she is going to give birth anytime in the next couple of weeks. I have to be prepared for all contingencies, which takes precedent over finding a place, sadly." Don said with a shrug as he looked back to his computer.

April let out a long breath but nodded. If they were going to be here for a while she needed a break. "If Casey notices that I'm gone tell him I went to get my nails done. I need a break." She gave Don a small smile as she got up from the table. Grabbing her jacket off its hook April shook her head at her husband and the chaos in the living room and stepped out the door.

Stepping down the hall she about tripped over the very pregnant looking Arayah.

I'm sorry." Arayah said and she pulled her legs in quickly.

After righting herself April turned and looked down at Arayah, her bright green eyes were wet with tears and had an empty pickle jar in her hands.

"Are you alright?" April asked as she crouched down. "Why are you out in the hall?"

"I needed a minute." Arayah wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm not used to living with so many people, especially for so long. And I swear if Raph tries to talk me into squeezing myself into one more closet, car, or other 'get away spot' with him I might just scream at him."

Closet? April wasn't sure she wanted Arayah to elaborate on that or which closets Raph had her sneaking off too. So she pushed into why Arayah no longer wanted to go sneaking off. Arayah and Raph had seemed really good since they had finally figured out that they loved each other. "Are you and Raph having trouble?"

Arayah shook her head. "These babies are just making me too fat to do anything comfortably. Especially cramming myself into a tight space with a horny giant mutant turtle that barely fits into any of those places himself. "

Well that was more than April cared to picture. But she understood the struggle.

"Don't tell Raph I'm upset. He'll just worry and then he won't understand." Arayah took a deep breath as she tried not to cry again. "April I'm so huge and… I have stretchmarks." She sniffed.

April smiled remembering how it feels to be over emotional and to have your body changing so quickly. "I'm sure Raph still finds you beautiful, Arayah." Which she was. Almost to the point it made April want to tar and feather her. "And if he has a problem with your stretchmarks send him my way I'll put him in his place."

Arayah laughed then. "He says they look like lighting and his children must be the offspring of a god. Of course this was said when I was feeling less than attractive and Raph was wanting some more amorous attentions he had finished the statement with something along the lines of, how could I pass up the opportunity to have sex with a god."

April rolled her eyes and laughed. "Can't say he isn't a little full of himself."

"You think." Arayah shook her head as she laughed.

"Want to take a break with me? We'll go get mani pedis." April offered.

Arayah held up her left hand. "I'm a figure short."

"Then it won't cost as much. Come on." April stood and held out her hand.

Arayah had to admit is sounded like heaven. "I don't think I am supposed to leave."

April pulled out her phone and sent a text to her husband. "They'll know you're with me. Just put your hood up. The salon isn't far and I am sure Bishop isn't watching the salons." She finished with a smile and re-extended her hand.

Arayah let out a sigh and took April's hand letting April help her to stand. "Alright but if Raph gets mad I'm blaming you."

"Oh I can handle him" April smiled "I need to check the mail on the way. OK?"

"I'm just glad we get to get out of the apartment for a bit." Arayah pulled her swearer hood over her head and followed April to her sedan, leaving her pickle jar behind in the hall.

A few shot minutes later Arayah was awkwardly climbing into the passenger's seat and trying very unsuccessfully to get comfortable. "I feel like I am trying to carry a ten pound bowling ball between my legs while simultaneously getting kicked in the kidney."

April chuckled and stated the car. "The last couple of months are the longest. If it's any consolation Don thinks you are going to pop a lot sooner than that."

"God, I hope so." Arayah groaned as she shifted trying to get whatever baby part was pushing against her rib to move.

Six blocks, a left, a right, and another left later they were pulling up to the post office.

"I'll only be minute April promised before hopping out of the car and dashing across the street to disappear into the post office.

April whistled as she searched her keys for the one she needed as she walked down the mostly empty hall. She came to the post office box she was looking for and with copper key in hand she opened the box and pulled out her mail before closing the box and taking back her key.

Frowning she began sorting through the bills. Mumbling to herself she turned around and slammed into some pore stranger that had stopped behind her.

"I'm sorry" April apologized as she looked up into the dark eyes and sly smile of agent Bishop. Her blood immediately drained from her face and froze in her veins.

"Where is she?" Bishop asked in a low whisper.

April found some comfort in the fact that Bishop had not het discovered Arayah sitting in the car but that did little tor her own safety at the moment. Using what she had for a distraction, April threw all her mail up in Bishop's race and then landed a rather hard snap kick to his groin.

As Bishop groaned and sand to his knees April took off toward the door. She knew she was no match for Bishop. Not head on and not in this scenario of cat and mouse. So she ran as hard as she could not risking looking back.

She pushed through the door and started down the steps. She heard a car horn honk before the thunder of a gunshot echoed thought the evening New York air sending any bystanders running for cover. Pain shot threw her leg from where the bullet hat buried itself sending April tumbling down the rest of the steps.

She groaned then cried out as Bishop placed all his weight on April's leg.

That sick smile spreading across his lips as he watched her squirm in a futile attempt to escape.

Arayah had been listening to music on the radio and marveling at the way her belly would move when they hybrids inside rolled about when she happened to look up to see April rush from the building. Bishop bursting through the doors moments after. Not knowing what else to do she had lain on the horn hoping to warn April of the monster that was bearing down on her.

Arayah could not fight him, she could do nothing to help April. None of her training was good to her right in this moment. Her belly too big and the risk of hurting the babies with in her made her feel helpless as she watched Bishop step down on April as he yelled something at her.

Frantically Arayah started to search the car for something, anything she could use to help. Then deciding she would use the car itself, she moved the seats back and began, awkwardly and with great difficulty, moving herself into the driver's seat.

As if things weren't stressful enough her phone rang.

She ignored it as she finally maneuvered herself into the driver's seat. She cranked the car and the phone rang again.

"What?!" She snapped at whoever was on the other side as she put the car in gear.

"Where the hell are you!" Raph's voice came bellowing through the phone.

"I'm at the post office." Arayah answered as she kicked the gas spun the car around.

The action had caught Bishop's attention and he was now looking directly at her. Stepping off of April's leg he walked out into the road as if daring Arayah to an uneven game of chicken.

"Bishop's here." Arayah said over Raph's ranting on the other end of the line, which abruptly ended at her statement. "I'm going to hit him with the car." Arayah stated before hanging up the phone and once again pushed the gas pedal all the way down.

*scene change*

Raphael looked down at his phone as fear and worry filled him. He had to get there, he had to protect her.

"I told you April said…" Don didn't get to finish his sentence before Raphael was talking over him.

"Why did you let them go?!" Raph shouted as he ran for the window, threw it open, and disappeared through it.

Casey and the three brothers, left in the living room, exchanged a brief look of concern before running after their brother. Leaving Splinter behind to watch the children.

Leo more limped than ran but was quickly helped along when Don slowed to exchange his bo for Leo's swords.

"If you're not going to stay you're going to need to keep up." Don said as he handed his brother his bo.

Leo gave a nod as he relinquished his swords, then using the bo staph as a sort of short vaulting pole he moved himself along as a much faster pace.

*scene change*

Bishop was honestly surprised as he looked up from the spot he had dove to for cover between the bumpers of two parked cars his eyes narrowed as he watched April push past her pain and quickly climb into the sedan. He was on his feet and running to his own car as his prize pushed the car she drove as hard as it would go. Its tires squealing as she turned the corner. But Bishop knew the sedan she drove could not hold a candle to his Mercedes.

"God damn it!" Arayah vented. "We just needed a break!"

April buckled her seat belt, as Arayah wove threw traffic, then April tore a peace of her T-shirt into strips so that she could bind her bullet wound. In all the time she had known the turtle she didn't think she had ever been shot. She had been shot at, she had been cut, hit, kicked and once even caught had always been fairly well protected.

"Shit. He's on us." Arayah announced as she glanced back in the rear-view mirror.

April turned in her sear to get a better look then quickly curled up as Bishop slammed his car into their rear bumper.

Arayah fought with the steering wheel trying desperately to the car strait as Bishop slammed into the sedan again.

"Is he crazy?" April asked the world at large earning a surprised look from Arayah.

"You think maybe." Arayah answered.

Suddenly the car was hit again on the right corner of the bumper causing the sedan to spin and slam against another car in the opposite lane.

April managed to bring her arms around her head before her body was slammed against the crushing door, her arm taking most of the impact as she hit the glass. April groaned in pain as the world ceased its spinning and her eared were filled with the sound of Arayah cussing and struggling.

"No!" Arayah cried out. "Let me go, damn it!" She grabbed hold of anything she could grab, the steering wheel, the shifter, April's bloodied hand.

Bishop had a hold of Arayah and was wrapping his arm around her neck as he ripped his hands away from the things she held onto in her desperation.

As April's world cleared and she realized her friends struggle she reached for Arayah, holding onto her hand with all she had. But her hands were too slick and too weak to hold in against Bishop's strength as he tore Arayah from the car.